Things haven’t been going well for the nuns of the Little Sisters of Hoboken convent.

And to make matters even worse, the remaining sisters don’t have enough money to bury all of the dead nuns, so a few of the recently departed end up in the kitchen freezer while their sisters try to figure out how to raise enough money for a proper burial.

The scenario is not utter nonsense, but wacky “Nunsense,” a hilariously goofy musical that’s coming to Long Beach’s Ernest Borgnine Theatre on Friday through March 16.

“It’s like going to a party. It’s down-home goofy and these nuns are just goofballs,” said Andi Jones, a Seal Beach resident who is co-producing, directing and performing in the musical as one of the five nuns who decide to stage a talent show in order to raise enough money to bury the four nuns in their freezer.

“It’s very upbeat and a very lighthearted show,” Jones said. “But it’s not satire, it doesn’t ridicule or seek to find gaps in religion. What it seeks to do is show that nuns who are devout can also be real people and giggle at themselves.”

The musical was written in 1985 by Dan Goggin and opened the same year off-Broadway, where it ran for more than 3,600 performances. In 1986, the musical won the Outer Critics Circle Awards for best off-Broadway musical, best book and best music.

The show also sparked several sequels, including “Nunsense II: The Second Coming,” “Sister Amnesia’s Country Western Nunsense Jamboree” and “Nuncrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical.”

Jones, who holds a master’s degree in music in classical vocal performance from Manhattan School of Music, is a seasoned performer who spent three seasons with Austin Lyric Opera and when she’s not on stage works as a licensed marriage and family therapist.

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For the Long Beach production she has teamed up with Tim Gable, an official with Long Beach Scottish Rite, which runs the theater. Jones said the pair hope to co-produce more shows there.

“Things just sort of fell apart. People just sort of started falling apart, so we had to leave,” joked Lanette Gutman, an Orange County sixth-grade teacher by day who will take on an Irish accent to play the role of Mother Superior for the Long Beach production.

When the nuns return to Hoboken things begin to settle down until the night when Sister Julia, Child of God, accidentally serves poisoned soup and kills 52 sisters.

The plan, which came to Mother Superior in a vision, works. But Mother Superior mistakenly thinks they have more than enough money and buys a big-screen TV for the convent, then later realizes there is only enough money left to bury 48 of the 52 sisters.

So a fundraising talent show is the next logical step.

“This show is just a lot of fun to perform, there’s a lot of belly laughs and the audience really gets to know all these five ladies,” Gutman said.

The audience also becomes part of the show, as the nuns often leave the stage to interact with theatergoers.

“There’s a Justin Bieber reference in the show now. Originally, the girls turn on a jukebox and start dancing, but now they turn on a cellphone and dance to Justin Bieber,” she said. At one point the nuns even get down to a little “Gangnam Style,” the massive hit by Korean pop star Psy.

About the Author

Richard Guzman covers Arts and Entertainment for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, where he writes about art, theater, music and food. He is a graduate of CSU Northridge with a degree in journalism. Richard grew up in Los Angeles and has written about food, pop culture and art in the area. He has two young children and in his spare time enjoys riding his motorcycle and hiking. Reach the author at Richard.Guzman@presstelegram.com
or follow Richard on Twitter: @Richword.